COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN, NEWCASTLE, RATHCOOLE, SAGGART AND BRITTAS AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

QUESTION NO. 14

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

To ask the Chief Executive would he consider notifying all relevant business owners that their premises are inside the designated village heritage area (ACA)? 

REPLY:

An Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) is a place, area, group of structures or townscape, taking account of building lines and heights, that is of special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical interest or that contributes to the appreciation of a protected structure, and whose character it is an objective of a development plan to preserve.

(1) An area of special planning control (ASPC) is all, or part, of an ACA which a planning authority considers of special importance to, or as respects, the civic life or the architectural, historical, cultural or social character of a city or town in which it is situated.

(2) A planning authority recognises, by making provision in the development plan for the protection of these areas, that in many cases, the protection of the architectural heritage is best achieved by controlling and guiding change on a wider scale than the individual structure, in order to retain the overall architectural or historic character of an area.

ACA policies should be supported by, and be consistent with, other policies of the development plan especially those relating to development control. The legislation relating to ACA’s is contained in Chapter II of Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000.  There are specific policy objectives included in SDCC County Development Plan 2022-2028. 

Under the legislation there is no obligation on the Local Authority to contact owners of properties within ACAs, however it is advised that guidelines setting out development management policies should be available.  It is an objective of the CDP to provide Guidelines for each ACA within the County.  As part of the Clondalkin LAP ACA Appraisals are being drafted for the 3 ACAs in the Clondalkin Area with a view to providing ACA guidelines for all ACAs in the future.